Just bought a Canon T7

[snapshots]

Hi all,

I just purchased a starter camera. (Canon T7)  It has two lenses that came with.  The 18mm-55mm which has IS, and a 70mm-300 that does not.  I like to take senic landscape photos, nature, and just about anything that catches my eye.  What would be the next logical lens for me to buy as an upgrade?  I was looking at two lenses.  One is the 18mm-135mm the other is the 70mm-300m with IS.  Do you think they are decent choices?  Is there another lens I should look at?  Keep in mind I am on a budget of about $500.  Thanks so much for reading.

Earl

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

Me personally.

I would dump the 18~55 and replace it with the 17~55 f2.8 (the latter is regarded as one of the best lenses available for APS-C format from a versatility and image quality standpoint. Canon refurb is $578.  If you sell your current 18~55 for ($100) you'll walk away under your price point and come away with a much better lens. 

"IS" is probably most useful (effective) when shooting handheld at slow shutter speeds.  You may consider allocating some of your budget towards a good tripod if you plan to spend long periods outside in a fixed shooting position. 

APS-C (lens) wise if you want a wider field of view, consider the 10~22 (Good for landscapes)

Lets see what other have to say.

[snapshots]

Thanks so much for your reply! What is the best way to go about selling my 18mm-55mm lens? I will begin searching for the lens you mention. I did purchase a Manfrotto tripod a few months ago. Thanks again.

[kvbarkley]

I am pretty sure you got the 75 - 300 , not the 70-300. All the 70-300's have IS.

[snapshots]

Yes you are correct. The lens I have is the 75-300mm that came with the camera.

[ebiggs1]

"I was looking at two lenses.  One is the 18mm-135mm the other is the 70mm-300m with IS.  Do you think they are decent choices?"

No, I don't for where you are currently at. I love the idea of the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens. It is one of my most favorite lenses. Although I don't have one I have recommended it to many people and have used theirs and watched them use it.  It is a great lens for the T7. No, I need to correct that, it is the best lens for the T7.  However, it is beyond your budget by several hundred dollars.  Your decision!

I am not a fan of any of the 70-300mm zooms or any lenses with numbers close to 70.  Not even the L version. If you want to replace it, check out either of the Tamron or Sigma offerings in the 150-600mm super zooms.  Again, however, beyond your budget. There is another way, these super zooms can be had on the used market. Sometimes owners get frustrated by them and they get very little use.  That makes a good candidate for a used lens.  Be warned they are more challenging since you are dealing with extreme focal length.  But that is  what the photography hobby is all about, isn't it?  At 150mm to 300mm it won't be much different than what you have with your 70-300mm zoom except the IQ will be better and a much better IS system.

So, there you go. The choice is yours.

[snapshots]

Thank you for the advice. I was taking pictures last weekend of some birds and trying to zoom all the way in to 300mm and it seems hard to hold the camera steady enough to get a good shot. I finally got a decent shot but it took about 5 tries.

[Waddizzle]

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@snapshots wrote:
Thank you for the advice. I was taking pictures last weekend of some birds and trying to zoom all the way in to 300mm and it seems hard to hold the camera steady enough to get a good shot. I finally got a decent shot but it took about 5 tries.

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The best shooting mode to learn the camera is probably P mode.  The flash will not automatically pop-up.  But, the flash built into the camera is not all that good, anyway.  On paper it has a reach of up to 10 feet.  In practice, it looks like a flashlight.

[ebiggs1]

"I finally got a decent shot but it took about 5 tries."

Nobody gets every shot. One out of 5 is actually pretty good.

[Waddizzle]

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@snapshots wrote:

Hi all,

I just purchased a starter camera. (Canon T7)  It has two lenses that came with.  The 18mm-55mm which has IS, and a 70mm-300 that does not.  I like to take senic landscape photos, nature, and just about anything that catches my eye.  What would be the next logical lens for me to buy as an upgrade?  I was looking at two lenses.  One is the 18mm-135mm the other is the 70mm-300m with IS.  Do you think they are decent choices?  Is there another lens I should look at?  Keep in mind I am on a budget of about $500.  Thanks so much for reading.

Earl

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Neither kit lens represents Canon's best efforts.  Both designs must be well over a decade by now.  I would be inclined to hang onto them for now.  You may want to upgrade the camera body some day.  They would add value to your T7 if you want to sell it in the future.  I had the same two lenses with my T5, and they added a ton of value to my T5 when I sold it.

Are you familiar with how to read Canon lens model numbers?  You will not go wrong sticking to Canon lenses whose model numbers end with "STM".  There is an EF-S 10-18mm STM lens, which would be great for landscape photos.

Buying one great lens is always less costly than buying two pretty good lenses, because you will probably wind up buying the great lens down the road, anyway.  So, looking to buy two lenses on your current budget is probably inadvisable, especially if you are looking for a super telephoto for wildlife photography.  You would want a super zoom for wildlife photography, even if you go to a zoo!

But, before you buy new lenses, take the time to learn about photography, so that you can get the most out of your gear.  Take a look at the first two posts in this thread.  They contain links to two video series aimed at absolute beginners.

https://community.usa.canon.com/t5/General-Camera-Discussion/Canon-YouTube-Video-Series/m-p/269237#M... 

You will want to watch the first series, "EOS 101", more than once.  

You will also want to have your camera in front of you sitting on a tripod, too.  Someone mentioned investing in a tripod.  The keyword here is "investing", not simply buying one.  If you do not spend at least $200 for a tripod kit, then you will likely have a weak tripod with a weak tripod head.